The incident: I am betting that when it is checked into (and hopefully it
will be) we'll know more.  One thing which shows up over and over again
is the same thing which is usually found in cases where other domestic
household animals cause injury: the adults usually have been involved in
forms of neglect or abuse beyond the essential of keeping infants and pets
separate when not supervised.  The sorts of things seen tend to include:
lack of food, lack of water, lack of medical care, or worse.  It is quite
common for the adults to have been passed out drunk or stoned, or be away
from home at the time; that shows up in almost all of the cases so far
when a baby was hurt.
 
Such occurrences are rare enough that they are considered news; they are
actually quite rare.
 
BTW, did anyone else note that there's a lot of press noise about this but
the injuries sound quite minor -- like the sorts of things that can happen
easily with thin infant skin and animals which can't retract skinny claws?
 
Wish the adults had not insisted on the ferrets' deaths, but that's one
of the realities of how animal laws are written and something which needs
improvement; it certainly is not the most frivolous of reasons we've heard
mentioned to destroy animals.  In some states vets are apparently required
to put down animals when "owners" insist on that.
 
We might have figured out why Meeteetse has been turding on bedding
(actually just about anywhere) She seems to be less aware of what is
happening back there.  We have seen a few instances where that appeared
to be the case now, with her not noticing that she has to "go" until she
is without time to get anywhere.  With that and her other problems we've
let her take over the back bathroom.  The floor is covered with towels so
that she won't slip, and she gets to have a friend in with her each night.
 
I agree that several things probably interact to cause adrenal neoplasias.
These just don't behave in a simple fashion.  That means that very likely
there are things people can do to get the rate and such into lower level
than might appear otherwise, but that could be a far cry from not seeing
the tumors at all.  That doesn't mean that there might not be a factor like
a silent virus involved, though.  If the numbers hold out that whole
ferrets have such growths less often then neutering probably is a factor in
adrenal neoplasia.  No one knows, though if neutering at six months is
really any different in rate than earlier neutering.  It might take one or
two predisposing factors plus some sort of life style problem(s) still not
clearly recognized for such growths to start.
 
What I really, really hope is that this Australian situation gets studied.
If it has just begun there as reported, and if it is currently restricted
to only one pocket as was also reported, then (like the possible increase
in early cases) that might very well be pointing to a viral contribution
for predisposition.  THIS MAY BE THE ONLY CHANCE FOR A SUCH A STUDY which
could follow the spread gradually over years.  That pattern could be very
informative.  Viruses can move around in more than one way and often with
more than one host, but the pattern may be very important to see if there
might be a viral factor or not, and this might be the one and only chance
to look at it.  This is potentially an important health opportunity.
 
Meanwhile we all need to take logical lifestyle precautions.  On that score
we just do like others do: we shield our ferrets from excess light since
genetically they are crepuscular (dawn and dusk activity) animals which
normally dwell in dark burrows; we feed several good foods, we get medical
care, we make sure they get as much exercise as they want, etc.  Our rate
in our home is not at all as high as in some homes, but there are also
places with fewer so we like to learn to learn from those people.  We have
also had only one early one so far in about 18 years so upset to see and
early one, but glad to not be among the households with a number of early
ones.  All any of us can do is to try to do our best and learn when we have
the opportunity.
 
You'll notice that I use a lot of words like "if" and "possibility".
That's because hard numbers just are not there to work with, studies are
needed, and -- as has been pointed out -- we also don't know if vet sin
some locales just don't check for adrenals or don't do pathology.  Studies
are needed, studies are needed, studies are needed...
 
There was an individual claiming to be an RD who was trying to see if the
introductions of phytoestrogens into the early post-neutering diet and
continuing thereon might affect neoplasias' formation.  Anyone heard
anything from him in the years since?
[Posted in FML issue 3101]